


A Harmless Distraction

by paradiamond



Category: Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Hewlett exploration, post S1, pre S2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-31 09:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3973705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradiamond/pseuds/paradiamond
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edmund Hewlett finds his feelings start to change when Anna Strong comes to see him about a personal matter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Harmless Distraction

“Anna Strong to see you, sir.” 

Major Edmund Hewlett of his majesty’s royal army sighs before looking up, feeling resigned. _Anna._ The woman who occasionally shows up to challenge him and rob him of his good sense, and who had just recently bravely escaped the rebels by jumping out of her husband’s boat. 

“Send her in,” he says, wishing he could take it back already. She’s the last thing he needs today. 

When he first took notice of her, all he saw was a pretty face married to a man known to have patriot leanings. A potential problem, but not a pressing one. He would occasionally catch her name in the scraps of conversations some of the soldiers have, but the comments tend to concern the shape of her body, not her political leanings. Once, he heard an ensign say that he visits the Strong tavern every day, just to see her lean over the tables. Before he knew her, he had just dismissed it all as soldier’s talk. They talk about all the women in town, and the women they left back in England, and women they make up entirely. 

Of course, he’s a man, and despite what some of his officers might say when they think he can’t hear them, he is very much alive. He sees her, notices her hair, feels his gaze start to drift in her direction when she passes by. Just because he has the self control not to act like a beast does not mean that he doesn’t see her. Which is exactly the problem. Now he sees her even when he isn’t supposed to. 

Anna approaches the desk he sits at everyday, looking perhaps slightly more skittish than she usually does when she comes to demand something of him. Even so, Edmund finds himself sitting up a bit straighter. She offers him a slight smile of politeness, but it seems strained somehow. “Major, thank you for seeing me. I hope you are well,” she says, in an considerably more polite manner than she usually speaks to him. 

“Mrs. Strong,” he says, to remind himself of her husband, _the rebel_ , and tries not to smile too warmly in return. “What can I help you with?” 

Something in his tone must alert her to his sour mood because she tilts her head. “I’m not here to ask you to do anything for me today, Major. I simply have a question,” Anna says, and it seems like she tries to smile again, but her eyes are tense. 

“Of course, what is your question?” Edmund asks, feeling ashamed of himself. 

Anna‘s gaze drifts towards the window. “I was wondering if you had made a decision about the fate of Captain Simcoe, and if you would be willing to share it with me if you had.” There’s a distinct line of tension to her body that makes him curious. 

He raises an eyebrow at her. “I have not, but even if I had I would not share such military matters with you Mrs. Strong, as I’m sure you understand.” 

Anna looks back at him, her mouth set in the familiar hard line of determination. “I do. It’s only-” she breaks off, biting her lip. 

Edmund leans into the back of his chair. “Only what?” 

She straightens her spine, clasping her hands tightly in front of her. “Might he still remain posted here?” she asks, seeming more eager to know that answer than she wants him to know. 

Edmund curls a hand under his chin. Apparently Abraham Woodhull isn’t the only man in the town she has an interest in. He finds that he’s annoyed in spite of himself. 

“Perhaps. I had no idea that you wanted him to remain here so badly Mrs. Strong,” se says, his tone probably sharper than is strictly necessary. 

To his surprise, Anna shakes her head, and her knuckles turn white with pressure. “I don’t.” 

Edmund frowns. “No?” 

“No,” she says quietly, but maintains his gaze. “I would...prefer that he be transferred.” 

“Why?” 

Anna hesitates too long for his comfort. He leans forward, and notices that she leans back, away from him. He turns to the lone guard in the room. “You there, wait outside please.” The guard goes and Anna watches him leave with a fearful look in her eye. Edmund turns back to her. “Anna, er- Mrs. Strong, I have to ask again. Why? Has he done something to you?” 

Brave Anna Strong actually pales, and Edmund stands up, suddenly panicked, and begins walking around the desk. She seems to startle back into action and takes a step back, her hands raised. “No! He hasn’t, or at least, he hasn’t done anything the law would be concerned with.” 

Edmund stops, considering her. The drama and sensitivity of women is well known, but he has not understood this particular woman to be a slave to such impulses. She seems more afraid now than she did when faced with the loss of all of her property, or when faced with the prospect of fleeing from her traitor husband. She seems _wounded_. Edmund fingers itch. He wants to reach out and touch her, but he restrains himself, curing his hands into fists at his sides. 

“But what concerns you?” he asks, determined to keep his head to help her keeps hers. 

Anna breathes out and looks towards the window. She breathes in again and looks back. She tells him. 

Edmund listens with increasing alarm as Anna describes being cornered in the cellar of the tavern, of having the Captain posted in her house and hearing him outside her door, of finding that her things had been gone through, of Simcoe implying on several occasions that he felt they had a special relationship, of how scared she had been when he returned. 

She keeps her gaze fixed on him as she speaks, not quite meeting his eyes but still on his face, her hands twisting the fabric of her skirt. “As I said, Major, I do not believe that he has done anything illegal where I am concerned, I just worry that he will eventually and I...might not be able to stop him. Of course I cannot prove any of this but-”

Edmund holds up his hand. “I understand, and you are right. The law does not apply in this case, but you were right to tell me about this. Having such a-” He finds he doesn’t have the words to describe what he thinks about Captain Simcoe now, not after his unwarranted murder of the prisoner, not after this. “Person. Here, in Setauket, is not acceptable.”

Anna nods. “I agree,” she says quietly. 

“I have to ask.” He takes a step closer to her and this time she does not back up. “Why did you not say something before?” 

Anna nods again. “I know I should have but Captain Simcoe was, well, a Captain. I did not think anyone would believe me.” She wipes at her eyes, and Edmund feels about two feet tall. He reaches out, intending to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she flinches. He puts his hand back down. “I’m sorry,” she says, one of her hands curling around her other wrist like a cuff in front of her. 

“Don’t be,” Edmund says, growing even angrier, seething inside at the thought of the man that terrorized her. “I will see to it that he is transferred, Anna.” 

She lets go of herself, her hands curling into tiny balls. “Thank you, Major.” 

“Of course,” He says, trying to regain some professionalism, and to let go of some of the anger. “Will you be alright?” 

Anna blinks. “Pardon?”

“Staying in the tavern. Above the...cellar. Will you be alright there? You can stay- I’m sure we can find you other accommodations if-” 

“That won’t be necessary.” She actually smiles. “Thank you for your concern Major. I think that I will be perfectly fine now.” 

Edmund smiles back, he can’t help it. “Excellent, we’ll get this matter sorted out in no time.” 

Anna inclines her head, seeming to have regained most of her composure. “I hope so, and thank you again.” 

“Of course,” Edmund replies, nearly tripping over his feet to get ahead of her on her way to the door. Normally, with other ladies, he would offer her his arm to escort her but he holds off, not wanting to scare her again. He settles for getting the door for her, and for smiling at her as she passes through it. 

“Goodbye,” she says, most of the color having returned to her face, and he mumbles something similar at her back as she walks away. 

Edmund stands in the doorway for probably longer than is strictly necessary before turning back. He sees the junior soldiers exchanging glances out of the corner of his eye but he ignores them as he always does. If not his developing interest in Anna Strong they would find something else to gossip about. He goes back inside and sits down at his desk, considering the papers in front of him with disinterest. 

The longest conversation they had ever had, and it had to be about yet another hardship she had lived through. 

Edmund flicks through the papers on his desk, thinking. He thinks about her face when she smiles, or when she looks scared. He thinks about sending Captain Simcoe to England for court martial, or even skipping the business entirely and hanging him here. He thinks about these things, twirling a quill absently in his fingers now. He gets up and goes home instead. 

The walk helps him to clear his head of the confused emotions he had been plagued with since she left, or rather, since she had arrived. Edmund shakes his head to himself for the flights of fancy. His opinion of Anna Strong should be no different than it had been an hour ago, and yet it was like he saw her for the first time today. 

“Ridiculous,” He mutters to himself as he wipes his feet on the mat just inside the door. 

“Sorry?” 

Edmund looks up, startled, to find Abe looking at him from the living room doorway. “Oh, nothing Abraham. Have you seen your father?” 

Abe nods. “He’s resting,” he says, walking toward Edmund, who is still blocking the door. The younger Woodhull is clearly on his way out as he often is, rarely spending much time rebuilding his new, or rather old, home. 

“Thank you,” Edmund answers, but doesn’t move. Abe stops a few feet away from him, eyebrows raised.

“Major?” 

“Abraham.” He darts a quick glance up to his face and then looks away again. “Anna Strong came to see me today.” 

Abe’s expression takes on an artificially pleasant quality. “Oh?” 

“Yes. I...quite admire her spirit,” Edmund says, pushing away the irrational twinge of jealousy he feels. “In any case, she came to me about Captain Simcoe.” 

“Oh,” Abe says, and the anger that crosses his face seems significantly more genuine. “Did he- What did he do now?” 

Edmund frowns, deeply bothered. “Did you know the Captain was terrorizing her?” 

“Yes.” Abe looks away, glaring off into the middle distance. His tone is impossibly tense. “Not to...speak ill of his majesty's servants, but Simcoe deserves whatever he gets.” 

“I’m sending him far away, you can rest assured. Why did you not say anything?” Edmund demands, more harshly than he intended. 

Abe looks back to him, his eyes flashing in anger. “Who would believe me? What’s the word of a farmer against a Captain?” 

Edmund holds up his hands, dread spreading through him. Anna had said the same thing. _What other abuses might be happening because the people are so scared?_ Edmund wonders, horror struck. Abe stands down, looking ashamed, but Edmund steps forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Peace. In truth, I was merely surprised. I know you...entertained feelings for her in past.” The words leave a bitter taste in his mouth but he ignores it. He can hardly fault Abraham for entertaining the same thoughts about a married woman as he himself had been that very afternoon. 

Abe sighs. “I did, it’s probably why Captain Simcoe’s actions bothered me so much.” 

Edmund nods. “What actions specifically?” Abe glances away, clearly uncomfortable. “I merely want to make sure that Anna did not leave anything...in particular out of her complaint. If the Captain needs a more stringent punishment then I would see him get it.” 

Abe nods back. “As far as I knew he never physically molested her, at least not so much that she complained to me. But I should probably tell you, Captain Simcoe and I had a duel last winter.” 

Edmund blanches. “Abraham!” 

Abe looks down at his feet. “It was stupid, and I regret it, but in my moment of weakness I thought- I did it to protect Anna.” Edmund waves a hand to indicate that they should move into the living room. When they settles into chairs, Abe sitting right on the edge of his, he nods for him to continue. 

“To protect An- Mrs. Strong how?” 

“Captain Simcoe found out that she and I had a minor dalliance in a moment of weakness, in truth it was nothing, just a kiss, but he reacted badly as I’m sure you remember.” Edmund nods. “Well he challenged me to a duel and I accepted.” 

Edmund shakes his head, shocked. “But why?” 

“Anna had told me many times of the disturbing things he had said and done, and when he attacked me he told me that Anna _belonged_ to him. He explicitly said that she was his. It...disturbed me. Anna is not my wife but we were once close friends, I didn’t want to risk him accelerating his behavior.” 

Edmund leans back, mind racing. “You meant to kill him.” 

“Yes, but I couldn’t do it.” 

“I should hope not.” Edmund snaps, and watches Abe absorb it. He makes his tone soften. “Abraham, that was…”

“Illegal and immoral, I know.” 

“But I understand why you felt the need to do it.” Edmund sighs and runs a hand over his face. “Women should be protected from people like the Captain, I’m just sorry you didn’t feel inclined to do it the proper way.” 

“So am I.” Abe leans forward. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to tell you this Major, dishonesty doesn’t sit well with me.” 

Edmund finds himself smiling at him. “I know.” 

“And I’m also glad Anna has someone like you looking out for her,” Abe says earnestly. 

Edmund scoffs. “Oh it’s nothing, I would have done it for any lady.” 

“Of course,” Abe says, a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth, and stands. “May I be excused? I have an engagement in town.” 

“Yes of course.” Edmund waves a hand, dismissing him. “Oh, and Abe?” he calls, and waits for him to turn back around. “The next time you have a concern of this manner, bring it straight to me.” 

Abe frowns, looking almost torn. Finally, he nods but looks no less at peace. “I will.” 

Edmund stays sitting in the living room for some time, just thinking. He considers getting up but he finds himself rooted to the spot, replaying his interaction with her in his mind over and over. There are still questions he has, questions he can’t ask her for fear of seeming overbearing at best and unforgivably inappropriate at worst. _Though her standards of inappropriate behavior are likely far more developed than that of the average American woman, thanks to Simcoe,_ he thinks viciously, getting up from his seat with a huff of irritation, newly motivated and eager to take his mind off the entire matter. 

Richard is nowhere to be found, likely still resting in his room, but he finds Mary in the dining room supervising the set up for dinner as she often does despite the fact that she has a full staff at her disposal now. Edmund does his best to smile at her normally in spite of his confused mind. There have been far too many revelations in one day for his comfort. 

“Major,” she says pleasantly. “I don’t think that Father will be joining us tonight, but Abraham is around here somewhere.” 

Edmund shifts his weight awkwardly. “Actually, he left awhile ago and did not say when he would be back,” he responds, but if the news bothers Mary at all she does not show it. 

“I see.” She gestures at a servant for the third plate to be taken away. “Well then I guess it’s just us.” 

“Of course.” Edmund smiles tightly at her. He had not actually intended to come to dinner that night at all, having found himself entirely without an appetite, but the idea of leaving Mary to eat alone is unthinkable. “I’ll go get changed.” 

He goes up to his room and changes his clothes in a daze, his hands and fingers doing the thinking for him. When he comes back downstairs Mary is waiting for him and luckily for him the conversation they make is light as dinner conversation should always be. Mary talks about the women in her embroidery circle and he briefly outlines his day. They talk about the weather. Small talk and pleasantries have always come easily to him because he actually tends to find them interesting to hear about. 

“One of my lieutenants mentioned that they saw a new nest of bluebirds outside of the church today,” he comments mildly. 

Mary tilts her head. “How nice. We usually get them around this time of year. Do you have bluebirds in England as well?” Mary is the perfect hostess, speaking little of herself and keeping the conversation moving without preventing them from eating. 

Edmund responds without having to think about the answer, considering what it would be like to have Anna sitting across from him instead. No doubt she would be just as skillful a conversationalist, but in a different way. He tries to imagine how she would have responded to his comment about the bluebirds but finds that he can’t. There’s no sure way to properly predict her. 

“Major?” Mary calls to him and he looks up, caught off guard. He realizes that he had been sitting in silence. 

“I’m sorry Mrs. Woodhull what did you say?” he asks, feeling terribly guilty. 

She shakes her head. “It was nothing. Are you alright?” 

Edmund scoffs and stands up. “Yes of course, I was merely thinking of the work I have to do tonight.” 

Mary nods but the look in her eyes remains speculative. “Of course, don’t let me keep you.” 

He nods to her and leaves before he can embarrass himself further. When he reaches the landing on the upper floor he has to fight down the urge to knock on Richard’s door instead so he can talk, but the prospect of saying any of what’s bothering him out loud is so mortifying that he resists. He lets out a tense breath when he closes the door to his room. Edmund casts a glance at his immaculate desk, he really does have work to do, but sits down on the bed instead. 

Anna takes over his thoughts again, not that she had ever really left them. He thinks back on his conversation with her, on her strength. 

_Thank you for your concern Major. I think that I will be perfectly fine now._

She had seemed so steady when she left in spite of the fear he had seen in her earlier. 

Edmund strips off his boots and then gives up, laying back on the bed, wondering what Anna is doing. He thinks about Abraham Woodhull breaking off their engagement for Mary, her traitorous patriot husband abandoning her, Simcoe standing outside her door at night, keeping her awake. She’s so brave and virtuous and beautiful. His fantasy about having her with him at dinner aside, he thinks that she deserves more than what she has. She deserves a gentleman to take care of her, not because she needs one, but because shouldn’t have to face the world alone. In the morning, he’ll swallow his pride and speak to Richard about her. There has to be some way for her to secure a divorce. 

Tired in more ways than one, Edmund lets his eyes slide shut, and lets himself fall into dreams of her.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr if you want :)  
> http://paradiamond.tumblr.com/


End file.
